The SHART Finally Gets To Stretch It’s Legs!!!

NASA Track Event at Buttonwillow Raceway April 21-22, 2012

Buttonwillow Raceway — The Ultimate Proving Ground

Think you’re a fast driver?  Think you have a fast car?  There’s only one way to measure and everyone knows the question.  What Lap Times do you pull on Buttonwillow Clockwise 13 Configuration.  Buttonwillow Raceway is the benchmark for local tracks in this area and possibly THE benchmark for Time Attack drivers in North America!

Since we ran Project SHART last year in the MotoIQ Series, and didn’t do as well as we had hoped, we made some changes, added some power, took weight out of the car, improved braking and suspension, and other misc. projects.  Now is the time to do some testing.  Since the MotoIQ Pacific Tuner Car Championship is now running along side the NASA race series, all drivers must prove themselves and earn their race license.  Since I had never run with NASA before, i had to sit out the first event weekend as I take my lumps and earn my spot in the field.  This particular weekend we had a goal:  Start in HPDE 3 and graduate to HPDE 4.  Once blessed into the HPDE 4 group, I am able to go through the NASA Racing Clinic in May to earn my Wheel to Wheel Racing License.

This weekend, the car was ready to run.  It was time to test everything out, and it was time to go fast!  From the first lap we took the car out on track, we knew we had the right formula.  A super light car, big power, nimble handling, and plenty of braking power!

It was a rough day…shoulder massages by Kyle were more than appreciated.

The entire day, not one car passed us.  Of the 49 cars in the group, only 2 cars were faster.  Nothing like seeing the look of disappointment as they were passed by a little Sentra!  Seriously though, everything about this car worked…and worked well!

Weighing in at 2300lbs and 300whp, Project SHART was damn fast in every way.  This was the perfect track to test out the new KSport Version RR dampers.  These things were AMAZING!!!  They were stiff enough to keep the car from leaning over, yet soft enough to not lose grip over uneven surfaces.  The car was nimble everywhere on track and never missed an apex.  It was seriously like driving a Go Kart.  Braking was also upgraded with the Fastbrakes Edition Wilwood Calipers up front.  Wide open on the straights resulted in super high speeds going into the braking zone.  The brakes had absolutely ZERO fade anywhere on track…even after a full 20 minute session.  The powerband on this car was amazing as well.  It had power everywhere and boost response was immediate.  Thats the advantage of the smaller OEM turbo and Top Mount intercooler.  Zero lag!  We custom fabbed a hood scoop to force air into the intercooler, and then followed it with water injection using the Snow Performance Stage 2 Water/Methanol Injection Kit to keep our intake temps down in the hot weather.

Former Nutrisystem “Before Model” Scott VanderHeide

Temps were in the high 90’s…hinting summer is almost here.  We spent a lot of time in the shade under our tent and keeping hydrated.

What a perfect way to end a long work week…with friends and other enthusiasts at one of my favorite tracks.  Can’t wait to do it again!